Not all places are safe around us. Due to unemployment, poverty, drug trafficking, inefficient law enforcement, terrorism, some places have become dangerous. Here is the list of most dangerous cites in the world.
1. Mogadishu, Somalia:
Somalia is a very dangerous country in general, full of constant clan and ethnic warfare. There is strife between the Ethiopian and Somali government troops, as well as with the Islamic guerrillas. All over, residents and visitors are also not safe from random kidnappings and coastal pirates, nor the high volume of terrorists. Since the beginning of Somali Civil War in 1991, this ‘capital’ city has had seen no central government control over it — over most of the country’s territory. The social and economic conditions of Somalia continue to decline, so Mogadishu is considered one of the most lawless and dangerous places in the world. Because of the ongoing civil war that has been active for over 20 years, about half of the city’s population has fled. Bombings, gunshots, guerrilla attacks, lootings and riots are a daily occurrence in Mogadishu. Dozens of people are injured daily, and hospitals are overcrowded with the casualties. Many of those who choose to remain in Mogadishu have ended up in the city’s sprawling refugee camps in 2008, more than half of the population abandoned the city, and many of the streets had turned into rows of bombed-out buildings. In 2009, there was a rise of violence and suicide bombings, which had been a rare occurrence in the past.
2. Baghdad, Iraq:
Baghdad—for centuries intellectual and cultural capital of the Islamic world—now the most dangerous city on Earth. Though American troops have occupied Baghdad since 2003, problems have since escalated. Suicide bombers and car bombs from the sectarian strife are a constant threat to anyone who is there, and the city’s infrastructure. Since the invasion in 2003, Baghdad has been suffering the worst of its ongoing problems of violence, crime, corruption and lack of internal stability. There are problems from the Al-Qaeda attacks and Kurdish rebels, as well as sectarian suicide bombers who attack all parts of city. The streets of Baghdad are also lined with unpredictable mines and explosives, along with random attacks from gunfire and mortars. Thousands of Iraqis have fled their country for other places, like Syria, and many more have been killed, injured or displaced.
3. Caracas, Venezuela:
Caracas is the capital and largest city in Venezuela, and is also the most dangerous place to be. Violent crime is a serious problem, as Caracas has one of the highest murder per capita rates in the world (Between 130-160 per 100,000). Most of these murders remain unsolved mysteries. Kidnappings, robberies and assaults are also a daily occurrence. Caracas is a drug trafficking haven. Robbery and petty crimes are commonplace with police having very little say or will to control the situation.
4. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico:
Ciudad Juarez is an insanely dangerous border town in Mexico, with recent arising problems of drug cartels, gang warfare, as well as many dangers for female factory workers. Juarez became more dangerous after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994, when thousands of new people flocked to this location for jobs that were established. Many women started working in factories, but at a cost. Hundreds of these factory worker women have since been murdered in Juarez, and over 3,000 have gone missing. Over the past ten years, there have been over 400 known cases of sexual homicide of women, some of their bodies later being discovered in ditches around this city. In the past few years, Juarez has become a main site of narcotic-related warfare. About 1,600 people were murdered in drug-related incidents in 2008, and then this increased to about 2,600 in 2009. It does not look like these rates will lower any time soon.
5. Kabul, Afghanistan:
Kabul, the war-torn capital of Afghanistan, is not a city for the faint-hearted, and few tourists venture .Years of war since it was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1979 to the present day have ravaged the city’s sprawling neighbourhoods that are now home to 3.2 million people. Security in Kabul is handled primarily by the Afghan police and army – the ISAF military patrols that were such a common sight until recently have largely taken a back seat. Although the situation can change incredibly quickly, Kabul is generally a calm city, with the greatest risk to personal safety being the insane traffic.
6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
Rio de Janeiro is a huge urban area in Brazil, but people there must go around with caution. There are many dangerous slums located around the city, ongoing drug warfare, corruption and criminals who target visitors in tourist areas. Rio de Janeiro is a major city in Brazil with a huge tourism industry, but it also is plagued by astounding crime rates. There are many incidents of homicide, particularly in poor areas that are controlled by the city’s drug dealers. About 30 victims are murdered in Rio de Janeiro per week. Many of these incidents have to do with stray bullets, muggings and narcoterrorism. There is ongoing urban warfare in this city between police and drug traffickers, and over 1,000 people are killed this way each year. Many of the drug trafficking is tied in with Rio’s powerful mafia, and this is not something anyone should be involved with; police also use zero tolerance with drugs, and will use brutal and violent tactics if they catch anyone.
7. Guatemala City, Guatemala:
Guatemala has high crime rates all over the country, and they are highest in its capital. There are problems with drug dealers, gang warfare and high murder rates. Guatemala City has a problem of ongoing crime, partially due to lack of efficient law enforcement. The majority of officials are inexperienced and underpaid, so do not have the resources to begin with to handle the high volume of crime. Apart from the police, the justice system is also inefficient, overworked and not effective. Apart from law enforcement, Guatemala City is subject to its social problems, like street gangs and rival drug dealers, which often affect the lives of everyday people.
8. San Pedro Sula, Honduras:
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — This is a city besieged by crime in all its forms: gang violence, drug cartel killings and rampant extortion compounded by a fear of authorities. Hondurans say gangs have imposed an almost unchallenged reign of extortion, murder and drug trafficking on this city and others. Honduras is caught in a vortex of crime – drug trafficking, gang wars, political upheaval and fierce land disputes matched by equal doses of impunity and corruption. San Pedro Sula is the most dangerous city in the world and is not growing safer, principally because of the relocation of powerful and dangerous Mexican cartels. There were 169 homicides per 100,000 people in San Pedro Sula in 2012, mainly because of drug-related violence.
9. Karachi, Pakistan:
Karachi, Pakistan, a sweltering, overcrowded, crime-ridden metropolis of at least 18 million people on the Arabian Sea, generates seemingly endless reams of negative publicity in the media. Disturbing stories about murders (both personal and political), rapes, bombings, kidnappings and drug trafficking have become so commonplace that Karachi’s image as a nightmarish “Third World” urban hell-hole have been seared into the public’s consciousness. Amongst the political in-fighting and lawlessness, Karachi has become especially famous for its motorbike riding assassins, known as “target killers”. For $700-$1000, these target killers will assassinate police, protesters, businessmen, and political opponents. The number of target killers in Karachi has risen from 6 to 600 over recent years. Expect the situation to much worse before it gets better.
10. Cape Town, South Africa:
Cape Town, South Africa, suffers from high crime rates, partially due to separation of wealth and dangerous sections of the city. Though a major international tourist location, people who travel there should do research to be safe on their journey. Part of the reason Cape Town is so dangerous is that South Africa has large social and economic disparities. Many of the outlying hills and suburbs surddounind the centre of Cape Town are very poor, unsanitary and hostile. Some of the dangerous areas of this city are Greenpoint, Salt River, Seapoint, Cape Flats, Mowbray and Observatory. One of the most dangerous areas of Cape Town is Nyanga, where there is an unemployment rate of about 70%, as well as a huge breakout of HIV/AIDS amongst its residents. Though most murders happen between people who know each other, there have been attacks on tourists in this city, so people are encouraged to take precaution and travel in groups.
Leave a Reply